This weekend, everyone will light sparklers, grill hamburgers, eat watermelon, and fly their red, white, and blue flags in celebration of an event that took place two-hundred thirty-four years ago. On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, was approved. The thirteen colonies became the thirteen United States of America.
The Declaration asserts, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
I adore the United States of America for many reasons, but this statement is one that especially touches me. True, we’re always hearing it, but that’s because it is such an apt summary of what our nation stands for. That each individual human being is of equal worth, and that every single person has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In many ways, America upholds the convictions on which she was established. Americans have the right to an education, no matter the situation. We have the right to fair trials. We have the right to choose our own careers. We have the right to say, write, and believe what we wish.
However, we don’t have the right to life. In America, for the first nine months of a person’s life, it is perfectly legal for him or her to be killed.
Also in the Declaration of Independence, we read, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.”
We have become destructive to these ends, America. What are you going to do about it?
-Rose Schmillen, SFLI Intern
